Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary of Ubud, Bali
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I used to be afraid of wild monkeys, but ever since I visited the snow monkeys in Japan, I fell in love with these cute, playful animals. When I heard that there was a Sacred Monkey Forest in Bali, I knew I had to stop by.
The locals warned us to be careful as the Balinese long-tailed monkeys could get aggressive at times and steal your things like sunglasses, but as long as you follow these guidelines, you will be fine:
- Do not look into the monkey’s eye
- Do not bring any kind of plastic or paper bags
- Do not touch, grab or disturb the monkeys
- Do not feed the monkeys peanut, cookies, candy, bread or any kind of human snacks or drinks.
Balinese Long-tailed Monkeys at Sacred Monkey Forest
The monkeys of Ubud keeping each other clean
Baby monkey eyeing the food at the Sacred Monkey Forest
Baliense long-tailed monkey taking a little break at the Sacred Monkey Forest
The entire time we were at the park, the monkeys were all minding their own business unless you had food. There is a banana stand by the entrance where the visitors can buy some bunches for the monkeys. Rp 20,000 (~$1.50) for a small bunch and Rp 50,000 (~$3.75) for a big bunch.
Buy bananas for the monkeys at the Sacred Monkey Forest
To feed the monkeys, hold out the banana away from your body and the monkeys will take it from you gently. If you hold the fruit near your body, most likely, the monkeys will jump on you and grab the fruit from your hands. Don’t panic when the monkey jumps on your shoulders. If you show any sign of fear or panic, the monkey will react differently and sense something is wrong. As long as you are calm, you will have a sweet time.
The monkey forest was beautiful and shaded with tall trees throughout the park. There were hundreds of monkeys walking around, playing and eating. They are so entertaining to watch as they are super playful. The babies hanging on their mother’s tummies were adorable! Currently, there are about 700 monkeys within the park.
Special ceremony held at the Sacred Monkey Forest
Beautiful shaded park of the Sacred Monkey Forest
As you walk around the park, you will come across several ancient temples and all were built around 1350. Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal is the main temple and is used to worship the god Hyang Widhi.
Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal located inside the Sacred Monkey Forest
At the time we went, there was some kind of ceremony being held and they had a stand with tons of fruit for the monkeys. The visitors also gave the fruits to the monkeys, which was a lot of fun.
Special ceremony held at the Sacred Monkey Forest
After visiting the monkey forest, there are several souvenir shops nearby with interesting items, so make sure you stop by to check them out.
Fun and unusual items at the souvenir shops across from Special ceremony held at the Sacred Monkey Forest
If you are hungry afterward, I recommend stopping by Cafe Wayan and Bakery (10-minute walk from the forest). The atmosphere of this open-air restaurant is gorgeous and they serve delicious Balinese cuisine like the classic Mie Goreng.
Great place to dine in Ubud is at Cafe Wayan and Bakery
SACRED MONKEY FOREST SANCTUARY
ADDRESS: Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
PHONE: +62 361 971304
HOURS: Sun - Sat 8:30 am - 6:00 pm
ADMISSION: Rp 50,000 (~$3.75)
Camera equipment used: Canon 5D Mark III, Sony a7S II, Canon EF 50mm f/1.4, Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4, Tamron SP 70-200MM F/2.8